Past, Present, Future

Posted on Tue Dec 31st, 2024 @ 4:24pm by Jean Grey & Scott Summers

8,035 words; about a 40 minute read

Mission: Episode 5: Days of Fortune Past
Location: Upstate New York
Timeline: November 22, 1990

The horizon burned with hues of orange and crimson as dusk settled over Annandale-on-Hudson. Scott’s red Jeep rolled down the winding country road, its tires humming softly against the pavement. The air inside the vehicle was quiet, not tense but thoughtful, as the Grey family home grew smaller in the rearview mirror.

Scott kept his eyes on the road, his expression stoic as he finally broke the silence. “That went well,” he said, his tone even, inviting Jean to share her thoughts. “Though your mother seemed disappointed we didn't take any leftovers.”

“We have another Thanksgivings to go to!” Jean said with an exasperated tone that was for her mother rather than Scott. “I already don’t want to eat turkey for another year and we’re only half-way done.” She slouched in her seat to better accommodate her already full stomach as they drove south, towards Salem Center and the school.

“Besides,” Jean grumbled with a touch of irritation, “Sara is eating for two, she can take home all the leftovers.” Jean’s older sister was currently pregnant with her third child, leaving a majority of the conversation for Thanksgiving focused on babies. A topic that Jean had brushed off over and over again as her mother pestered her about it, but judging by her current tone it had affected her more than she had cared to admit.

“Yeah…” The Hudson River flowed beside them as they put miles behind the Jeep, but no amount of distance quelled the quiet concern growing in the pit of Scott's stomach. “I noticed you dodged that line of conversation.” He looked away from the road for a second, long enough to give Jean a worried glance. “You want to talk about it now?”

Jean exhaled loudly through her nose and Scott felt the tension that pulled at her insides. “It just feels like it’s never good enough. We’re finally getting married and my mom is already jumping to the next milestone of when are we going to have a baby. As if life isn’t complicated enough, I don’t need that pressure on me too.”

She folded her arms across her chest as she looked out the window and examined the river. “I don’t know what to tell them. Christopher will be here before we know it and what happened to me while I was gone… I just can’t lay that all out on the table with them, they would freak. It’s always been that balance of half-truths to spare them from the shock of it all.”

Jean’s shoulders slumped a little as she continued to talk through her frustrations. “Maybe that’s why I feel so cagey about it, it’s a sore subject because I’m not completely honest with them.”

That was a struggle to which Scott could not relate. Everyone he was close with knew about his role with the X-Men. It was a poor consolation for being an orphan but it was still an exemption to Jean's predicament.

“You're as forthright as you can be.” While the words weren't especially comforting, they weren't entirely meant to be. Scott was a pragmatist above all. The truth wasn't always a comfort but it was always helpful. “You aren't deceiving them or manipulating them. You are holding back parts of yourself that they don't understand and could bring harm. If your parents were on the rocks, they wouldn’t tell you for similar reasons. That would only hurt you to know because there's nothing you could do about it, much less understand what they'd be going through.”

Scott knew his words didn’t really hit the mark. He took a breath, considered the situation, and then sighed, resorting to a comforting hand on Jean’s thigh.

“I know, it was a choice I made a long time ago. It’s for their safety along with their mental health, the Professor and I discussed it a long time ago before I ever became an X-Men. Secret identities are common in our true line of work. I don’t regret it but it definitely becomes another factor that complicates things.” Jean placed a hand over his and gently stroked the back of his hand with her thumb. His presence always had a calming effect on her, even when he didn’t really know what to say his physical and mental presence made a huge difference for her.

“It’s hard because I still feel like I’m disappointing them. Despite everything I’ve done and what I hope to do, they pester us about having grandchildren like it’s the only thing that matters.” Jean shook her head in disapproval, “Sara is about to have her third kid, it’s not like they don’t have any grandchildren to spoil. I don’t know why it bothers me so much, I try not to let it get to me but at family gatherings like this, it becomes impossible to ignore.”

Scott felt that pang of want inside of Jean and he knew exactly why this topic bothered her so much. No matter what she said or denied herself, her own wants still anxiously paced inside of her. Jean wanted her own family, her own children but when faced with the reality of that subject she picked the practical response over the honest one.

“Kids are the reason why any of us do anything,” Scott said at length, “whether for our own or someone else’s. The future and hope we fight for… it’s found in those little faces. That’s why the Professor gave us everything.” It stung even as he said it. Raising someone else’s child with such joy made Jean an angel on earth, but that didn’t take the hurt away. Only one thing could do that. Scott broached that topic next. “Have you made an appointment yet?”

Scott watched her head drop out of the corner of his eye, her look of aversion telling him everything he needed to know. “No, I haven’t.” Jean inhaled sharply before she held her breath for a moment and Scott felt fear and remorse rise up inside of her until it made it hard for her to breathe. “I’m scared to go, I’m scared of what the answer is going to be and that a dream of mine will die. I just… the idea of news like that… I don’t know if I could handle that right now… or ever.”

“Yeah.” This wasn't the first time they had touched on this point. Mixed emotions didn't scratch the surface. While Scott had always wanted a family with Jean, that family started and ended with her. No matter how many children they may or may not have together, they would grow old together long after their nest was empty. Scott felt himself grow annoyed by Jean's avoidance of the inevitable. Facts were facts regardless of how either of them felt. His view was that it was better to know regardless of what they revealed.

“Jean…” Still, as much as Scott always held a dream to have a family, this was still about Jean. She wanted to bear his child. Her fears and her trauma threatened that far more than any reality. “I'm sorry.”

While he couldn't help his annoyed response to her procrastinating, he still sympathized with her suffering. “Doctors can be wrong. Whatever they say, good or bad, isn't final. It's been awhile since Muir. A lot has changed…”

Scott trailed off. His meaning had been medical, hoping in the chance that Moira's prognosis had been overly pessimistic. But hopelessness had set in. He could feel its tendrils seeping through their psychic rapport. Whatever change there may have been was tainted by it, which meant his words were only provoking Jean's latent but mounting despair. Such an enemy was almost impossible to fight. “... and, as scary as it seems, I still think it would be better to know.”

“I know, you’re right.” Jean nodded her head in agreement but she felt her chest tightening further as they lingered on this topic. “Essex takes and he takes and he takes, there is no regard for the person, it is nothing but destruction for personal gain.”

She failed to fight back the tears that her memories created, how brutal and lethal Essex had been with her. The idea that he would be careful enough to spare her this distress seemed far fetched. “I just need more time, okay?” Jean sadly sniffled and Scott felt her defeat. “Besides, the answer wouldn’t change anything for the foreseeable future. Christopher will be here before we know it and we’ll be so busy with him. We can afford to wait a little longer.”

Scott wanted that to be the end of it. Pressuring Jean into a corner was the last thing he wanted to do. But he felt like either path he chose would be letting the darkness win. Even the name Essex drew a horrid feeling from his heart. Whoever this man was had taken everything from him, even a loving foster family like Alex had received, what with having a financial stake in the orphanage where he was forced to grow up. Letting that Sinister shadow fall across their lives any longer felt unbearable.

“How about this?” Scott posed gingerly. “When we get home, let’s make an appointment far enough out that you will be ready for it when the time comes. Then it won’t be forgotten but you won’t be rushed into it.”

“That feels like a good compromise.” Jean affirmed his idea with a squeeze to his hand that still remained on her thigh. She was still nervous about the idea and her tone lacked enthusiasm but he was right, her health was important and shouldn’t be avoided simply because the results might be undesirable. “Thank you for being with me through all of this, including two Thanksgiving dinners.”

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be,” Scott said. “Days like today are what we’re fighting for.”
After returning her hand squeeze, Scott pulled away to downshift and turn over the bridge that carried them over the Hudson River and onto Route 9 which led south. It was a scenic route with a longer drive time, so once they were clear of the bridge, Scott shifted into high gear. The rev of the Jeep’s motor rattled through the chassis and up into the body of the vehicle. Sharp acceleration always sent a thrill through him.

“Are you going to feel like driving back to the City afterwards?” Despite the straightaway, Scott wasn’t going to be making up for much lost time. At this rate, they were likely to get back into Manhattan at a late hour. “I know Bobby stayed in his old room last night and was talking about staying another.” His tone was an amused one. Bobby found trouble like flies on stink. “We’ll see what we walk into when we get there.”

“I won’t step foot in that room ever again.” Jean’s tone became cold and firm with that statement, “Not with what happened in there. That space is cursed for me.” Their bedroom in the mansion had once represented something special for them, now it was tainted. Jean tried not to dwell on it but there were places and moments that still hurt her deeply. “I can drive us home afterwards if you’re tired, I don’t mind.”

Scott swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. ~I didn’t mean… there~ But there was no putting the genie back in that bottle.

Jean visibly winced from the uncomfortable moment between them and she wondered if that moment in time would ever stop hurting. She remained silent despite the moment of remorse that passed through Scott, a feeling she would normally try to stifle in him.

“Point taken,” he said aloud. “And I don’t mind the drive. It’s like guaranteed time with you that’s free of distractions.” That almost sounded placating even though it wasn’t. Scott regretted bringing up the Mansion and the possibility of staying there. “We could scope out where we want the wedding decorations set up. Do you think Bobby froze the lake over like he always does? The willow tree’s overlook would be great.”

“I’m sure Bobby wants a crowd when he freezes the lake, you know he loves a moment to be the center of attention.” Jean scooted closer towards Scott and she rested her head on his shoulder while he drove. The gesture of affection was her attempt at a peace offering between them, that the painful feelings were gone and they were moving forward together. She turned their conversation towards the wedding, that day was a bright spot on the horizon. “Bobby is going to make it snow after the outdoor tent and lighting has been set up and then he’s going to cover the willow tree in frost and ice. If he can manage to recreate what’s in my head, it’s going to be beautiful. Everything will be serene and white with that magical sort of feeling after a snowstorm.”

Part of the benefit of their psychic connection was being able to see the picture in his own mind’s eye. Scott smiled at the very thought of it.

“It’s beautiful,” he said with a dreamy expression on his face. “Just like you, so… apropos.” Indulging the moment and the far more desirable line of conversation, Scott let his mind wander. “You know, I always imagined the Professor officiating, but…” He hesitated, doubting his idle assertion to be anything more than a silly, spontaneous thought.

“But you feel bad asking him to do more than he already has.” Jean agreed with Scott, their wedding was already enough of an event inside and outside of the mansion. To add more to the Professor felt like they weren’t grateful. “What about Kurt? He’s ordained already, I think he could legally marry us. He doesn’t know us as well, but I could share more of our past with him… much more than I could show a pastor from in town.”

Scott frowned in thought, but the more he considered it, the wider his mouth curved in a smile. “We did take him away from his monastery life, didn’t we? I’m sure he could. And that would be a touch of tradition in our church-free wedding.” He chuckled at the dinner conversation at the Grey family dinner table. They weren’t exactly traditional. “Not that your folks would mind either way. I suppose we could ask Kurt when we get there, though.”

“My parents would consider a hand-binding and drum circle sufficient,” Jean said with a laugh. Her mother and father were extremely liberal and actively participated in the counterculture of the 60s. “Kurt is very sweet and considerate, he has a poetic charm about him too. I think he would do a good job. Not to mention as a former circus performer he’s not afraid of the spotlight.”

Jean let out a dreamy sigh as she placed a hand on Scott’s thigh. She dared to cuddle up close to him when they drove on long, straight highways. “It’s all coming together, isn’t it? The floral arrangements need to be selected, the final head count given to the caterer, I have two more dress fittings and that’s just about…” She gasped suddenly and sat up with a jolt. “We haven’t bought wedding rings yet! That’s so important, how could I have forgotten that?!”

Now it was Scott's turn to feel uncomfortable. The matter of the rings between him and Aurora had been such a huge oversight that he'd had to buy cheap knockoffs from the overnight drive thru chapel they'd visited. Truth be told, that had been his last offramp in the highway to hell that was his foolhardy chivalry to make himself find love in a terrible mistake. He had veered down that path anyway, heedless to his own destruction, holding out hope that somehow good could have come from it.

“Well, the engagement ring was such a big deal,” Scott offered with a wry tongue in cheek, “that it made a follow-up hard to pull off.”

The whole truth wouldn't be lost on Jean, but Scott gave her the benefit of a detour in order to avoid that trip down memory lane with him. If there was anybody he wanted to pick out rings with, it was her. He just…didn't know know the first thing about them.

“Do you have any earthly idea where to start?” Scott asked. Money wasn't an obstacle. They weren't independently wealthy by any means but they certainly had options. “New York is full of jewelers. Do we just pick one?”

“We could go anywhere,” Jean said as she admired her engagement ring, it would always be stunning. As she gazed at the ring, Scott watched as her face lit up and a buzz of excitement filled her thoughts thanks to the idea she had.

“Could we go to Tiffany’s?” As if he could say no to her when she was so radiantly happy over the simple idea of going there. “I know it’s a bit garish but the engagement ring is just so grand, and well… I don't know, there’s something so posh and New York about going to Tiffany’s.”

Jean was rather practical when it came to most expenses, while she was always well dressed and stylish she also appreciated the value of a dollar. So to hear her suggest the luxury brand was a little surprising. Then again, they had agreed that they wanted everything about their wedding to be grand, why not the rings they would wear for the rest of their lives?

“We could get breakfast there, just like the movie title.” Jean’s excitement was almost childlike and incredibly infectious. “What do you think?”

At first Scott let his head slowly bobble on his neck as he considered the suggestion and weighed it against all the usual pros and cons. All of that was interrupted, though, when Jean was practically giggling. “I think that sounds like a plan,” he said, returning her exuberance with a more laidback smirk.

Most people would mistake his reserved demeanor as disinterest, but after growing up together Jean could recognize it for the measured reactions that Scott used to express most things. Restraint was as part of his daily life as proper rest and exercise. The uptick on the far corner of his mouth might as well have been a firecracker for what it signaled to Jean. “The real question is… do you feel like braving the crowds tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?” Jean’s grin widened as she noticed that small smirk of his. “I thought we were going to sleep in tomorrow after this day of eating and driving.”

She reached out and pulled his head down for a kiss, an act that wasn’t considered safe since Scott was driving down the highway at a speed a touch faster than the speed limit provided. But Jean couldn’t help herself, she felt such unbridled joy and happiness from their togetherness and it made it impossible for her to not lavish affection on him.

Jean’s kiss was brief but Scott felt those beautiful fireworks between them as their lips met for a few short moments.

Such indulgent moments were what made life worth the living. When their lips parted, Scott couldn’t help but chuckle. “Why sleep in when there’s sure to be more of that?” He chuckled again. “So I guess it’s settled. We’re going to Tiffany’s in the morning.”

The road sign for their turnoff over the Mid-Hudson Bridge alerted Scott to the need to downshift. Fortunately traffic today was practically nonexistent, so it was a clean turn that allowed for a wide open view of their second river crossing. It was such beautiful country that even he couldn’t help but appreciate the way the river cut its way through fen and field.

“I know you’ve given a lot of thought to your bridal party,” Scott said, his idle voice belying the awkward subtext. “I’ve not asked anybody yet. Not officially.” He bit his lip, wondering what Jean would make of that confession before continuing.

“Oh you know they’re good for it. We’re all family,” Jean said with a dismissive wave of her hand “You just have to pick a when and where and all of them will show up for you.” She folded her arms across her chest as a mischievous little smirk curled her lips. “What are you going to do? Go to a strip club?”

Scott pursed his lips together and rolled his tongue around inside his mouth. That was a loaded question if there ever was one. If there was a way for him to dodge it entirely, he would, but he knew Jean would only circle back around.

“No idea,” he said honestly. “Maybe that’s part of my hesitation. Isn’t it traditionally the best man’s job to plan that? You know some of those guys. The last thing I need is any more surprises of a… well, no more surprises.” Evasion successful? He would just have to see. “I guess I need to start asking though. Time is ticking.”

“You’re supposed to say ‘no, I would never go to a strip club, I have the best at home, everything else pales in comparison’.” Jean teasingly poked him in the side before she returned to resting her head on his shoulder. “You could always ask Warren and Bobby to come up with something, I’m sure they would set up a momentous evening.”

Scott held back a snort at the two of them arguing over their very different styles. “Yeah, momentous is one word for it. How am I supposed to choose a best man though? All three of them should have it one way or another.”

He didn’t give a word about Alex. Even though they were brothers, things had not been well before their ill-fated mission to Krakoa. With Lorna known to be in some other… dimension, realm, or whatever… Alex remained the last outstanding member of the First Class whose whereabouts were unknown. In a way, he was relieved not to have to choose his brother as best man, not when their relationship was rocky as it had been. But, then again, if it meant having him back safe and sound, Scott would promise him the spot without hesitation. But that didn’t matter. Scott had to deal with what was in front of him, not what could’ve been or might be.

“What if I asked the Professor?” Since they felt confident that Kurt would officiate, that did free Charles Xavier from that task. “The other guys couldn’t argue with that. And…” Scott let loose a belly laugh at the next part. “... good luck convincing him to take us to a strip club!”

“Now you’re just being absurd in order to get a rise out of me.” She poked him once more in response to his comment. Scott heard the teasing tone in her voice and without looking, he could picture the playful exasperation that was on her face. “Why not get a box at a Knicks game or go to one of those indoor driving ranges?”

Scott kept up the teasing with a straight face. “No, no, that's the beauty of it,” he went on. “The Professor might get us a box at the opera, maybe a quiet tea room at the Waldorf with a private concierge. It would be as classy as could be.”

“Please make sure to smack Bobby’s hand if he doesn’t drink his tea with his pinky up,” Jean said with a giggle. “I think the only person who would have a good time is Hank.”

She looked up at Scott, examining his profile as his eyes remained fixed on the road and a moment of sweet adoration passed through her. It was a warm and fuzzy feeling that he had first felt from her when they were teenagers. Scott had caught Jean staring at him while they worked on homework together but the feeling disappeared when he had dared to turn his head to look at her. The teenage Jean turned pink with embarrassment the moment he did.

“Then again, you look incredibly dashing in a suit, so maybe the Professor is onto something,” Jean said with a coy smirk as she continued to gaze up at him, that sheepish aversion of her youth long gone.

“If I look that dashing, maybe I’d better save it for the wedding,” Scott said. He was no stranger to suits, but he was a stranger to celebrations. Even birthdays weren’t exactly a big deal for him. “Not sure any of the others would share your appreciation anyway.” And a strong appreciation it was. Nobody else ever looked at him that way. It actually made Scott blush a little. “Keep making eyes at me and we might be even later to dinner at the mansion.”

“I can’t help it.” Jean bit her lower lip in an attempt to stifle the grin his blushing created. Nothing thrilled her more than watching the normally stoic Scott Summer crack from her feminine wiles. The world saw his ruby lenses and his phlegmatic disposition while Jean saw his sympathetic heart and his beautiful brown eyes. She fought against her desire to distract him while driving with kiss after kiss, despite her composed demeanor her thoughts were not hidden from Scott thanks to their psychic rapport.

“Whatever it is you decide to do, I want you to have fun. I want it to be special and commemorative because you deserve to have a moment where everyone celebrates you. You deserve that.” Jean reached out and tenderly brushed his cheek with her thumb before she returned to merely resting her head on his shoulder while he drove.

“Honestly I just want to go through with it,” Scott said. “It feels like so much has tried to come between us and I don’t want to give anything else the chance. We’re meant to be together, that I know. I can go out with the guys anytime. What matters is that we do this right and lock it down before the world comes crashing down again.”

“We’ll do it right, nothing is going to stop us from getting married. I just want you to slow down and enjoy it too because we only get to do this once.” Jean tried to calm some of his building ire.

Scott was getting a little dramatic but his intensity was one of his admirable traits. He reined himself back in when he heard how over the top he sounded in his own ears. “You know what I mean though. My biggest regret… is not marrying you before Krakoa.” That sentiment was not a new one, but it was the first time he had voiced it. That reflected his sense of urgency in this situation.

“Would that have mattered?” Jean said with a touch more frankness than she typically used. “Would it have changed anything that happened? Because I don’t think it would have.”

That was a question which was impossible to answer. Would Scott have been unfaithful? He’d like to think not. But that wasn’t why he regretted not marrying Jean sooner.

She shook her head as she continued to process her feelings into an explanation. “I want to marry you as a promise and a testament to how much I love you. I want our friends, society, and god to all witness those vows and to celebrate their meaning with us. Then I want to run off to a private beach and celebrate with you for days on end. But when we get home and go back to our regular routine, nothing else changes. I will still love you like I do right now, all of me already belongs to you.”

“All of those things sound good and true,” Scott said, “and I share them all. I just wish we had celebrated this sooner. We gained nothing by waiting. I don’t ever want to wait again when it comes to us.”

Was this the makings of an argument? It didn’t feel like one, but they seemed to be expressing different desires despite their agreement. Jean didn’t want to rush anything, yet she was eager to get everything lined up. Scott didn’t want to delay, yet he had put off confirming the wedding party. They seemed paradoxical.

“I don’t want to change the date or elope or anything drastic,” Scott clarified. “You know me. I’m just… thinking.”

~Maybe I do think things would’ve been different~ Scott admitted in the safety of his own mind.

While Jean didn’t respond he felt her presence in his thoughts. Love. Acceptance. Forgiveness.

“There’s no telling what the future holds. I want us to be ready.” He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze as she continued leaning against him. “This is how we’ll be ready—for anything.”

“As long as we have each other, everything will be okay.” Now she couldn’t resist kissing him again as they reaffirmed what they meant to one another. They had been through so much together but their love always endured and grew. Jean sat up and kissed him deeply, it was the type of kiss that had the ability to stop everything and start anything.

And stop everything it did. Scott’s foot instinctively stomped the brake pedal because his sight was obstructed. He managed to turn the decelerating Jeep safely off road with his peripheral vision. Once the tires bit gravel, he pulled up the handle on the emergency brake and let the vehicle skid to a stop in the grass. All the while, he returned Jean’s penetrating kiss, never missing a beat.

Now that the vehicle was stopped, though, Scott took Jean’s head in his hands and pressed his lips against hers even more firmly. So many volatile feelings and stressful situations had come out in their conversation, but now they served as so much kindling for the fire that began to burn between them.

~I have you~ Scott heard a soft, humming moan move from his lips to Jean’s. The turmoil of stress and anxiety took flame at their touch, leaving only passion between them. ~You’re all I want. You’re everything I need~

~* ‘You’re all I need.’ *~ Jean sat up further and wrapped her arms around his neck as each kiss between them rolled into the next. Her psyche crashed against him and that welcomed sensation of her presence surrounded him.

Jean was always with him, her telepathic presence was like a person sitting in the same room as him but when things heated up between them that distance diminished and their bodies and mind entwined in a level of intimacy that was impossible to achieve any other way.

~* ‘I love you, Scott, and I cannot wait to become your wife.’ *~ She moaned softly as her body pressed into his and the solid warmth of his frame heated her skin.

A flood of thoughts crashed together into an ocean, tossing their minds together like waves. Their bodies merely followed the current. Scott felt his hands drift across Jean’s body as they chased the threads of desire that were pulling at him from her mind. Their psyches were already linked and their bodies ached for the same. Before he knew it, Scott’s hand was inside Jean’s blouse, grasping for her very heart but settling for her heaving breast.

~I can’t wait to make you mine~ Scott nibbled hungrily at her neck which sent his hot breath coursing from her ear to her spine. ~I want everyone to know you’re mine… and I am yours~

“Scott” She gasped his name before Jean’s breath hitched in her throat as his words and his wants moved across her body and through her mind. The force of his desire and the speed in which he claimed her caused Jean’s head to spin.

She found herself lost in Scott as the stress of the holiday and the tension of sensitive topics left her body. Jean easily forgot all of those things the minute his lips met hers and he greedily palmed handfuls of her flesh. The rousing sensation of his touch made her sharply moan and writhe against him.

~* ‘You have me’ *~ Jean’s thoughts became singular and focused solely on Scott as the buckles of their seatbelts simultaneously released and they were free to move around the tight confines of the jeep. She pulled him into her and against her as her whole body began to ache for him. ~* ‘Take me’*~

The driver’s seat was already pushed back nearly as far as it would go. Scott slid it back the rest of the way. It was a familiar dance they had done a number of times in the very position, but each time it felt fresh and anew. Pulling Jean from her seat into his lap didn’t require much encouragement. She practically leapt at his prompting.

With Jean now looming over him ever so much, Scott resumed his ravishing kisses along her neck and down the hollow of her throat. His fingers pushed the buttons of her blouse free, letting the garment fall free to either side of her raised breasts and the bra that framed them. A brief moment of appreciation came and went. The buildup inside Scott reached a breaking point where he couldn’t hold back anymore. Burying his face in her cleavage, Scott devoured her warm, silky flesh while practically salivating with desire.

She leaned into him while softly murmuring words of praise and approval as Scott’s kisses turned into more lascivious acts across the gentle peaks and valleys of her breasts. Jean’s breathing became ragged and heavy, her thoughts became racy and her body piqued and bloomed thanks to his ravenous touch. It was hard to think about anything else when tensions rose between them and their bodies began to beckon and call to one another. So when a gentle tapping occurred on the driver side mirror, Jean practically jumped out of her skin in surprise

The Jeep’s windows were fogged to the point of being opaque thanks to the crisp air outside and the labored breathing their arousal created, leaving only the dark silhouette of the person knocking on the glass.

“Oh Scott! We’re in trouble, it’s a highway patrol officer.” Jean gasped as she placed hand across her deep cleavage in a pathetic attempt at modesty.

There was no real way around it. Scott rolled down the window and faced the music. “What, uh, seems to be the trouble, officer?” he asked with his best poker face.

The patrolman leaned down, his face illuminated by the glow of the Jeep’s dome light. His expression was a mix of concern, suspicion, and a faint hint of amusement as he took in the scene—fogged-up windows, disheveled clothes, and two very guilty-looking young adults.

“Well, well,” he began, his New York accent heavy with skepticism, “I thought maybe yous had a busted radiator. Turns out maybe it’s just yous twos overheating. You wanna tell me what else's going on here?”

Scott cleared his throat, sitting up straighter. “We were just taking a break, sir,” he said evenly, though the slight redness in his ears betrayed him. “We’re on our way to Westchester, heading home for Thanksgiving.”

The patrolman cocked an eyebrow, his lips twitching into a wry smile as he looked between them. “Uh-huh. And I’m guessing by the looks of things, yous fixing to stuff more than the turkey, huh?”

While Scott wasn't sure what to say. That comment took the wind right out of his sails. His mouth hung open without any words coming out.

Jean was utterly mortified by the entire interaction, being half naked in front of a police officer was not on her Thanksgiving itinerary. His joke didn’t help the situation and her cheeks turned a shade of red that almost matched her hair. She blushed so hard that the fair skin of her throat and chest turned a hue of pink as well.

The patrolman chuckled, shaking his head as he straightened up. “Alright, kids, listen. You’re not the first couple to get caught up in the moment, and you won’t be the last. But this here’s a state highway, not a cheap motel. Keep it moving before someone else gets curious, huh?”

“Y-yes, sir. Absolutely.” Scott felt a rush of relief that they were getting off with a warning.

“Good,” the officer said, stepping back. “Now get to your families without any more highway hanky-panky, you hear me?”

“Yes, sir, thank you, sir. Happy Thanksgiving,” Scott replied, already shifting the Jeep into gear. As they rolled back onto the road, he looked at Jean. “That was a close one. Did you… encourage him to be lenient?”

“What?! No.” A still blushing Jean gasped before playfully pushing him back into his seat. “I was frozen in fear and embarrassment, I didn’t even think about swaying him. So if I did… it wasn’t intentional.” She looked over his shoulder to the patrol car that was parked behind them. “He’s still laughing over us, I think he was just trying to be nice.”

“Didn’t even check our ID,” Scott pointed out, his voice tinged with relief as the situation and the stress it induced was left in the rear view mirror. “That means no report or paperwork. He really did let us off easy.” He gave Jean a playful glance his glasses couldn’t hide before adopting his usual stoneface. “Can’t take you anywhere. Always causing trouble. Good thing my mother never warned me about girls like you.”

“It’s not my fault!” Jean sat up as straight as she could manage with a look of shocked disbelief on her face. The way her jaw dropped and her green eyes went wide, it reminded him of when she broke a stack of dishes so many years ago and just how irresistible she was when Jean was caught off guard.

Scott’s serious expression cracked slightly and Jean immediately melted upon seeing his lopsided smile. “At least it’s not ALL my fault.”

She leaned forward and kissed him, it was a slow and simmering gesture that reminded both of them that there was unfinished business between them. ~* ‘I still want you.’ *~ Her mental words were practically moaned as that hunger for him still ached and quivered inside of her.

It was hard keeping his head above water beneath such a sultry onslaught. Scott swallowed the lump that formed in his throat. “See… see what I mean?” Scott quipped, though his teasing was only half-hearted. Everything within him called out for more of what Jean was laying on him. “Breaking the law right after the policeman said not to. Mrs. Summers is going to be nothing but trouble.”

Jean giggled from his teasing and the use of her soon-to-be new surname. Scott felt a little rush of glee move through her that helped to pull her away from him.

Despite his teasing, Scott knew himself to be at a distinct disadvantage. Jean had him in the palm of her hand. All he had was his vain posturing held up by an empty façade which Jean could shatter whenever she wanted. But, of course, Scott kept it up. “Maybe you should come with a chaperone.”

“You’re the one who wanted Bobby to move out.” Jean teased him back as she finally built up enough willpower to slide off of him and back into the passenger seat of the Jeep.

“He could have been in the backseat this whole time and we would have been on time to dinner at the school.” She reached across him for her blouse that had been shoved into space between his seat and the driver’s side door.

“Talk about a bucket of ice water,” Scott quipped without missing a beat, his tone wry and flat. “He's like a brother but I do not miss him under our feet all the time.” He slipped another glance at Jean before she covered up again. Such beauty. That she had pledged herself and all that she was to him still felt surreal sometimes.

That just meant he had to double down on the teasing. “If you want him to move back in, I bet he wouldn't say no. Not sure our cable bill can afford it though.”

“Who needs that much pornography?!” Jean said with a laugh as she began to slowly button up her blouse. “On top of all those movies I found two dirty magazines in the baby’s room after he moved out. One of naked men and one of naked women.”

Scott just sighed. “Remind me to bleach the walls before the baby comes. And to forbid any more houseguests. I think we can do without any for a while.” Speaking of new guests, Scott’s mind turned to the newest resident at the Baxter Building. “How’s Warren holding up? Is he coming to the mansion today too?”

“He has good days and he has bad days.” That was the simplest explanation Jean could provide when it came to describing Warren Worthington III. “Hank and Reed are still trying to remove or at least lower the amount of nanotech inside of him. But the technology is complex and so integrated with his body that it’s been slow going.”

She finished buttoning her blouse before fixing her collar and smoothing out her slightly mussed hair. All of Scott’s feverish pawing was slowly removed before Jean continued. “Sometimes the darkness takes hold of him and he relives all the terrible things that he was forced to do. But Warren is much more of a doer than most people I know, those hard times push him to take action. He’s happy to be in the city, close to his friends and the Morlocks, and the work X-Factor is doing. I think that being at the Baxter Building is good for him. Muir is too remote and isolated for someone like him.”

Jean raised her hips and unbuttoned her blue jeans so that she could tuck her blouse in. She felt Scott’s eyes on her figure as she moved and it inspired a few suggestive thoughts between them. Tonight’s dinner was going to be a long, arduous affair.

“As for tonight,” She cleared her throat and her thoughts as they grew close to Salem Center. “He’ll be there in all his attention seeking glory. He just bought a Lamborghini and is dying to show it off.”

“Of course he did…” Scott groaned and shook his head, a rueful smirk on his face. “I guess some things never change. Been through hell and back but still as big of a showboat as ever.” As Scott imagined the purr of the Lamborghini’s engine and felt a less than subtle pang of envy, another thought came to him. “He's not been back yet, has he? To the mansion. He's going to be making a lot of new acquaintances with fresh faces. I guess while he figures out who Warren is now, he can still remind everybody he's a Worthington.”

That was to say nothing about Hank losing a friend, too, along with any hope of a future with her. So many sad friends. Maybe this was why Thanksgiving was ever established in the first place. Scott's melancholy made him drift off, filling his mind with such sullen thoughts.

“Hey…” Jean reached out and wrapped an arm across his waist before resting her chin on his shoulder. Her touch warmed him and he could smell her perfume in this close proximity, reminders that she was here with him. “We’re all together. Some days are dark and some choices are hard to make but when everything else falls apart we’ll always have each other. Hank knows this and Warren knows this too.”

She sat up and kissed his cheek, her lips were soft and full. “We’ve all been through terrible things, things that broke us and tore us down but in the end, we built each other back up. We’ll always do that for one another.”

Scott gripped the steering wheel tighter. His knuckles whitened around it as Jean’s words sank in. For just a moment, the hum of the Jeep’s engine filled the space between them, mingling with the rhythmic thrum of the tires against the pavement. Soon they saw the first road sign for Salem Center, so Scott took the turnoff.

“I know you’re right,” he said quietly, his voice thick with emotion. He glanced at Jean, her hand still resting gently on his waist, her warmth grounding him in a way that nothing else could. “It’s just… I think about Warren, about Hank, about all of us, and I can’t help but feel like we’re these pieces of a puzzle that got scattered. Every time we come back together, it feels like something’s missing or that something’s changed. And it’s hard not to wonder if, one day, the pieces won’t fit anymore.”

“You’re worried they will drift apart, like Alex did.” Jean hugged him a little tighter as she said those words. Things had become tense between Scott and Alex before Krakoa, it was going to be Alex and Lorna’s final mission as X-Men. The schism between the brothers wounded Scott. When family was minimal and so desperately wanted, to have a blood relative reject him was painful.

“I hadn't quite made that connection yet,” Scott admitted, his soul wincing at the on the spot assessment, “but, yeah, now that you mention it. I don't like the way things ended with Alex.” He caught himself as he said those words. “I don't even like the fact that I said things ended with him. Even if we find him, he may not come back. Not ever.”

That painful admission made him cling to Jean all the more. His right arm clenched around her body and held her tight. “Can't focus on that though. It just reminds me to hold onto what's important and not take anything for granted.”

The road signs for Salem Center grew larger, the familiarity of the route bringing a bittersweet ache to Scott’s chest. He glanced down at Jean still at his side, her face illuminated by the warm glow of the dashboard lights, and felt a surge of gratitude.

“Thank you, Jean,” he said softly, his tone laced with affection, “for always being the one who holds us together.”

“We’re a family, all of us.” Jean matched his soft tone, her voice was soothing when she spoke like this. “Even if some step away or select a different path we will always love them and be there for them. That goes for Alex, Warren, Bobby, and Hank. No matter what choices they need to make to find happiness, we’ll be there for them.”

She kissed him once more, and he felt that balm of her love across the ache in her heart. “But I will always be with you Scott, you are my forever.”

"And again." Scott replied as they neared the mansion and their second Thanksgiving dinner.

RSS Feed